The present invention relates generally to the field of product packaging, and in particular to a new and useful slipcover bag with a fabric handle made of the same material as the slipcover, the slipcover being neatly folded inside the bag which is preferably clear and preferably made of inexpensive clear vinyl with a zippered opening.
It is know to package fabric items such as blankets, sheets and slipcovers for seating furniture, in a clear plastic bag so that a consumer or buyer can see the color and pattern of the item without opening the bag. This is useful particularly to avoid infolding the item which is usually carefully and expertly folded into the smallest configuration possible in the bag.
It is also know to use such bags which have a solid rectangular shape made of clear vinyl with a zippered opening. These are higher quality bags which can be reused although the present invention in meant to include other materials and shapes for the bags and bags that are sealed shut and are meant to be torn open to release the fabric product.
The problem solved by the present invention is to provide the consumer or buyer with a sample of the fabric that can be touched and felt, without opening the bag.
The inventor""s U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,301 discloses a reversible slipcover made of fabric having opposite surfaces with different colors and/or patterns. The present invention is also well suited to contain this unique type of slipcover as will be explained later in this disclosure.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a slipcover bag combination, which has a bag with a carry handle made of the same fabric as the slipcover, so that a consumer or buyer can examine the fabric color, texture and xe2x80x9chand,xe2x80x9d without opening the bag or unfolding the slipcover. The bag may have a zippered opening and is preferably made of clear vinyl.
For the purposes of this disclosure, the term xe2x80x9cpatternxe2x80x9d is used to include not only a pattern containing discernable shapes such as herringbone, strips, checkers, prints or the like, but also solid single colors.
Advantages of the invention include the fact that the purchaser of the fabric slipcover need not open the bag or unfold the slipcover to directly see and feel the fabric making up the slipcover. The color pattern and texture or feel of the fabric, sometimes referred to as the xe2x80x9chandxe2x80x9d of the fabric is directly accessible to the consumer and also forms the handle for the bag. It is important that the consumer be discouraged from unfolding the slipcover since depending on the size of the sofa, love seat or easy chair to be covered, the slipcover may contain 8-10 yards of fabric. Although it is neatly folded to compactly fit within the clear bag, the folding process is performed by an expert with a large area to carefully spread out and then fold the fabric into its final storage configure. It is difficult or impossible for a consumer to reproduce the same process. As a practical matter, therefore, the slipcover can almost never be returned by the consumer to its compact configuration to fit within the bag. In the case of a retail outlet or even a buyer from a wholesale operation, to avoid loss of sale a consumer may be encouraged to open the bag and unfold the product. This leaves the retailer or wholesaler with the difficult task of folding the product again into a saleable form.
Providing the fabric handle thus eliminates the need for unfolding the slipcover. In the cases where the slipcover may include contrasting patterns, samples of both patterns can be included in the handle, for example by providing the central body of the handle of one pattern and opposite edges of the handle in the other pattern.
Another advantage of the invention is that the fabric handle automatically provides the consumer with a swatch of the same fabric as the slipcover. This swatch can be taken with the consumer to a home improvement outlet, paint store, interior designer or any other remote location where selections of paint, fabric or other item based on color must be made.
Accordingly, a further object of the invention is to provide a slipcover bag combination, which comprises a bag, a slipcover made of a fabric having at least one color, pattern and texture or feel, folded into a compact storage configuration and contained within the bag, and a fabric carry handle made of the same fabric as the slipcover and attached at at least one location to an outer surface of the bag, the carry handle fabric having the same color, pattern and texture as the fabric of the slipcover.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.